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Farro Chickpea Skillet with Tomatoes, Kale, Cardamom & Lime

4.77 from 13 reader reviews
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4
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Ingredients

Lime Yogurt Sauce

  • ¾ cup plain vegan yogurt (see notes)
  • ½ teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Farro Chickpea Skillet

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium shallots, small dice
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup pearled farro
  • 1 ¾ cups cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes (I used fire roasted here)
  • 1 cup vegetable stock or water
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 cups chopped kale (lightly packed)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus extra (or cilantro/parsley)

Instructions

  • Make the lime yogurt sauce. In a small bowl, combine the vegan yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Set the sauce aside in the fridge.
  • Heat a large skillet with straight sides over medium heat. Pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add the shallots and sauté for 6-7 minutes, or until translucent and quite soft. If they begin to brown, lower the heat.
  • Add the garlic, ground cumin, cardamom, and chili flakes to the skillet and stir. Cook until spices are very fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the tomato paste to the skillet and stir. Cook out the raw tomato paste flavour for about a minute, stirring constantly.
  • Add the farro to the skillet and stir to coat in the spices and oil. Then, add the chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, and some salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and place a lid on top of the skillet--slightly askew so that some steam can escape. Cook the farro chickpea skillet for 15 minutes, or until farro is tender and excess liquid has been absorbed. While it simmers away, check in periodically and give everything a stir.
  • Once the farro is cooked, add the kale to the skillet and stir. Place the lid back on and cook until kale is wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chopped fresh dill.
  • Give the farro and chickpeas a taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the farro chickpea skillet with the lime yogurt sauce and extra chopped fresh dill.

Recipe Notes

  • I use pearled farro here (this one) because it helps this recipe come together quickly. If you have semi-pearled farro, increase your cooking time to 30 minutes. You may also want to add a few extra splashes of water towards the end of the cooking process. If you only have whole farro on hand, I recommend soaking it overnight and draining before making this recipe.
  • For a gluten-free version of this, I would recommend trying quinoa or millet. If using millet, your cook time will likely have to increase to 25 minutes. Neither of these grains have the same chew factor as farro, but they will still be tasty and hearty in this dish.
  • You could use any chopped greens that you like here.
  • For vegan yogurt, I recommend a coconut milk-based option that is thick and tangy. My favourite right now is by Canadian brand Yoggu. 
  • I used a 12-inch braiser-style pot in these photos and it worked nicely!
  • I like to serve this with a simple side of roasted veg. In the photos here, I did crispy roasted kalettes, but broccoli, slices of butternut squash, or cauliflower would all be great.
This vegan farro chickpea skillet with tomatoes, kale, cardamom and lime is so flavourful, hearty, pantry-friendly, and it cooks up in 30 minutes. We top this one pot meal with a tangy vegan yogurt sauce that's fragrant with lime zest and juice. This flavour combination is inspired by a recipe in one of my favourite Ottolenghi cookbooks, Flavour.